Families of Shortreed, 

We hope you had a lovely May long weekend and enjoyed some time in the sunny (but windy) outdoors!

Don't forget about our 2026 PAC Fun Fair this Friday! 

• Wristbands for the event can be purchased in advance online and through e-transfer. It's a cash-only event, but if you want to pay via e-transfer prior to the event, please send your payment to: srpacfundraising@gmail.com. Password: eagles. With your order, make sure to include the student's name, division number, and teacher in the notes section. 
• Wristbands for $15 each for ages 5+, and $5 for ages 2-4 (note: adults do not need wristbands). 
• Tickets for the Jar Game, Dessert Dance, Pony Rides, and Wild Education require 1 ticket per turn (each ticket costs $1).
• Rock climbing for adults requires 2 tickets per turn
• Ticket sales for Wild Education will be donated to the rescue centre. 
• The event order form is here. 
• Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to volunteer! We still need help in a few areas so please consider signing up to help out for a portion of time.
• We still need donations for our Jar Game. See the pic below for some examples. We had over 1300 jars/containers donated last year, and we are currently under 200. The more jars/containers/bags we have, the longer the game can go on! 
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• We also need donations for our dessert dance. This can be store-bought or homemade. Donations can be brought to the school on Friday morning. We will have a table set up at the far side of the school by the portables and in the office for collection. The more dessert items brought in, the longer the game can be played.
• A big thank you to our PAC President, Jodi Stiglic, for all her work on this! 

We have another fun Spirit Day on Friday, with the theme "Anything But a Backpack". Let's see that creativity to have your kids carry their school stuff in Anything but a Backpack!

Students will get their ribbons for the Track Meet this week. They will also be notified if they have qualified for the 2026 LSS/ACSS Families of Schools Regional Meet on May 27. If your child finished in the top 2 in an event, they will qualify for the regionals. They can only enter a limited number of events, so some 3rd- and 4th-place finishers will also get a chance to go. For those who qualified in the running events, there will be practices on Wednesday and Friday at lunchtime this week. 

We are participating in HUB Bike/Roll to School Week again this year, from June 1-5. Students can ride their bikes or scooters, rollerblade, or skateboard to school to encourage active travel. If you live a longer distance from school, consider parking further away and having your child roll to school from there. Please do not ride e-scooters or e-bikes as these are only for those aged 16 and over in our community. Helmets also must be worn. NEW THIS YEAR - We are moving our Wheels Parade to Friday, June 5, at the end of the Bike/Roll to School Week this year. In years past, we had it on Sports Day, but with the rapid growth of our school, Sports Day has become pretty rushed. We thought having the Wheels Parade on the final day of Bike/Roll to School Week would be a perfect way to end that week! We will share the house colours for Wheels Parade and Sports Day soon, so students can decorate their bikes/scooters/themselves in their house colour OR whatever theme/character they want! 

Last Wednesday, we held our 2026 Kindergarten Welcome Event, hosting nearly 70 future Shortreed Eagles at our school. Families and children visited classrooms and the school, connected with Shortreed staff and PAC, and took home some fun swag! Thank you to everyone who attended and to all the staff and PAC members who helped out. Ms. Coghill took the lead on this, and we appreciate all her extra efforts. 

On Thursday, grade 10-12 students from ACSS came over and did a lesson with our grade 2 and 3 students on Respecting Differences of others. The kids loved the activity and were left wanting more! Thank you to these ACSS Totems and to VP Mr. Village for bringing them over. 

At Shortreed, we are honoured to work, learn, and play on the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Máthxwi First Nation. We share this not only to acknowledge the lands but also to express our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation.  Every morning, a friend of mine sends me a recording of him drumming and singing. He starts his day with this and shares it with a few of each day. Listening to this for 1-2 minutes each day starts my day in a good way as it helps me slow down, listen, feel, and reflect. When I listened to the song today, there were birds singing in the background, and it felt so in tune with nature... and so thankful for that he, and so many other Indigenous drummers and singers, have been able to keep this cultural practice, through so many years of it trying to be taken away. He is a friend with ties to these Máthxwi lands, and I am so thankful for him and many others who continue to help me and guide me in more ways than they will ever know. 

The Week Ahead

• Wednesday, May 20 - PAC Treat Day (TCBY); Club Wednesday #2; Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25
• Friday, May 22 - Spirit Day - Anything But a Backpack Day; PAC Fun Fair!!!; Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, May 25 - Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25; Shotput/Long Jump Practice 2:45-3:15
• Wednesday, May 27 - ACSS/LSS Regional Track Meet 9:30-1:30
• Thursday, May 28 - BGMS Grade 6 Band Performs 1:10
• Friday, May 29 - Earthquake Drill 10:00
• June 1-5 - Bike/Roll to School Week
• Wednesday, June 3 - PAC Popcorn Day; Club Wednesday #3 
• Friday, June 5 - Wheels Parade 1:45 (this is moved away from Sports Day this year)
• Monday, June 8 - Gr. 5's visit BGMS
• Tuesday, June 9 - Proud to be Me Day
• Wednesday, June 10 - Gr. 4 Field Trip
• Friday, June 12 - Sports Day!; PAC Hot Lunch Pizza
• Monday, June 15 - KIUAN Dance Performance 1:05
• Wednesday, June 17 - Grade 5s at Waterslides
• Friday - June 19 - School National Indigenous Peoples Day

You can see our digital calendar here. We encourage you to add our school calendar to your phone/device by clicking here. 

Information and Reminders:

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• Transportation Registration 2026-2027

  Transportation registration for 2026-2027 is open. Please note the instructions to register are different for each category of rider. To help in our planning and creation of bus routes, registrations must be submitted by May 4^th for eligible riders and June 9^th for courtesy riders. The District cannot guarantee approval after the deadline. New and existing riders can find more information on our Transportation Registration webpage here.

• Summer Session 2026 – Elementary/Middle/Secondary

  Are you looking for skill-building or new learning opportunities for your child to keep them engaged during the summer? The District offers a variety of courses as part of Summer Session. Online registration begins on Wednesday, April 22^nd for Elementary (Grades 1 to 5), Monday, April 27^th for Middle (Grades 6 to 8), and Wednesday, April 29^th for Secondary (Grades 9 to 12) at 11:30am each day for Langley School District students. For important dates, times, and courses available to Grade 1-12 students, please visit our webpage here. 

• Our Shortreed Breakfast Program runs each school day from 8:20-8:35. This is free for any students registered, and they must come each day they are in school. To register, click here. 
• We know that illnesses occur and absences can happen. If your child is going to be absent, arriving late, away or leaving early due to an appointment, please notify the school of your child’s absence by doing either of the following:
  • E-mail SCEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca or call 604-856-4167 and follow the prompts for the attendance line, and leave a message with information including:
    • Student First Name and Last Name
    • Grade
    • Division
    • Length of Absence
    • Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)

  • Please be aware that if your child is often late, they will miss significant lessons, as much of the literacy and math instruction takes place at the beginning of the day. If your child is ill (flu-like symptoms), please keep them home until they are no longer contagious and can participate in regular school activities. Homework will be provided upon request. Please avoid long absences due to holidays, as this can seriously jeopardize your child’s academic achievement. Homework may not be provided as assignments based on lessons your child missed, as it can be more confusing than helpful. If you will be away for an extended period, please notify the school, as this may impact enrollment.

  • We STRIVE for FIVE absences or less at Shortreed. We know that children will get sick, but it's important to minimize absences.

• There is no parking or pickup/drop-offs in our school parking lot. Please park along 28th Ave or 273rd Street. The Catholic Church allows us to park there for pickup and drop-off. Do not block the driveways of any residences. 

PAC News

• Fill cleaned and clear plastic containers or zipbags with anything that a child would love to win.

• This could be candy, craft items, small toys; the options are endless, so be creative!

• Drop items off at the child’s classroom

• If dropped off at the office include the division or it will not be counted towards the class prize

• Items can be dropped off any day up until May 21st, to be included into the class count.

• If dropped off after May 21st at 2:45pm items will no longer be included in the class count for the prize.
• You can still bring items right up until the start of the fun fair, but they will not be included in the class count.

For Dessert Dance we need donations of cakes, cookies, pies, pastries or desserts for our Dessert Dance.

Anything a child would love to win! Store bought or homemade are happily accepted. 

On the morning of the fun fair, May 22nd, please bring your dessert to the door at the back of the school, on the playground side closest to the portables. We will be accepting desserts all day, and they can be dropped off at the front office.

You can now order your Fun Fair wristbands. You can use our online order form or the paper copy that was sent home last week. Fun Fair is on May 22nd from 3:30-7:30pm. We have bouncy castles, pony rides, Wild Education and much, much more. 

Have any questions? Email us at shortreedpac@gmail.com. 

Join our Shortreed PAC Facebook Group too!

Community Events

To read about some fantastic family opportunities across Langley, check out the Community Bulletin Board.

Langley RCMP Youth Cadet Camp application and info are below:2026 Langley RCMP Youth Camp Application WORKING FILE.pdf This is open to children born in 2015 and 2016.

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Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me

Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me is a fun and engaging Langley Literacy Network program designed for Kindergarten students and their caregivers. The program will run Saturday mornings from 10–11am, April 4^th to May 23^rd at the Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary School Welcome Centre. It is an opportunity to read, play, learn, and connect. Each week, families will explore new books and activities that support early literacy and learning. Plus, every participating family will take home eight new books to build their home library! 

Registration is required, and space is limited. Sign up today at

https://langleyliteracynetwork.com/talk-with-me-play-with-me-learn-with-me/

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Parkside Just Be Four (JB4) Preschool - Registration Open for September 2026

Langley School District operates a licenced 4 year old preschool program at Parkside Centennial Elementary.  Registration is now open for September 2026-2027.

Classes operate on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 12:45 - 3:15.

Please complete the contact form here, and our staff will contact you to secure a space for your child.  Please contact Charlene Redekop at credekop@sd35.bc.ca for further information.

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Gifts and Gatherings is a 90-minute program from 8:30am - 10am hosted weekly at one of the Langley Strong Start sites. Any family member or caregiver is welcome to participate along with children ages 0-5 years. Families will explore activities that emphasize indigenous perspectives, highlighting the many interconnected gifts of land, people and animals. Experiences may include: art, sensory exploration, story-time, table top activities and more.  During each session, participants will receive a gift that will allow families to continue to explore their learning at home. The program is intended to build connections between families and the school and to support children in their transition into Kindergarten. Please see the flyer at the link below with locations and dates.

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Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) Reading Advisor 

FVRL Reading Advisor is a free resource for everyone living or studying in communities served by FVRL, including Langley. The Reading Advisor service offers personalized book recommendations for readers of all ages, making it an excellent support for students and staff across the Langley School District. All that is required is to fill out a short form about your reading interests, and trained library staff respond with a customized reading list based on genre, themes, age level, and preferred formats (print, eBook, audiobook, graphic novel, etc.) This is ideal for boosting reading engagement, supporting diverse learning needs, and possibly helping teachers quickly discover high‑quality texts for classroom use. This free community resource extends the capacity of school libraries and connects learners with a broader range of inclusive and accessible materials and would be a great resource to share with students and other staff to help them find some new great reads for over spring break. Happy Reading!

https://www.fvrl.bc.ca/my-reading-adviser

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MediaSmarts has launched a new, free, self-guided workshop to help families develop healthier technology and screen-time habits. Building Better Tech Habits provides practical, research-informed strategies for managing family screen use and addressing common digital challenges at all ages. The workshop can be accessed 24/7 via the link here and completed any time, making it easy to fit into busy schedules.

Aldergrove Family Resources